Duct bell holder



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,1. P. WILLSON DUCT BELL HOLDER Filed Sept. 16, 1942 a INVENTOR.

Arrow/Ex Dec? 19 3 J. P. WILLS-ON 2,335,147 v I DUCT BELL HOLDER Filed Sept-16, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet? y 1N VENT OR.

W B 5 iz ATTORNEY Dec. 7, 1943.

J. P. WlLLSON DUCT BELL HOLDER Filed Sept. 16, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

W/ a A ATTORNE).

Patented Dec. 7, 1943 DUCT BELL HOLDER James Phineas Willson, Houston, Tex assignor to Line Material Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Application September 16, 1942, Serial No. 458,603

4 Claims.

In urban areas electric power cables are run underground through conduits terminating in manholes; and the end of each conduit at its junction with a manhole Wall is fitted with a so-called duct bell-which is usually a flared porcelain casting having a smooth, curved anplify and reduce the cost of construction of manholes by eliminating the precast slabs and providing means whereby the duct bells can be secured in place, properly spaced and located, in the manhole forms with a minimum of time and labor.

' The foregoing object is accomplished effectively and economically by the provision of inexpensive clamping devices capable of gripping the duct bells and holding them securely to the wall forms-which clamping devices are selfadjusting to accommodate duct bells of different diameters and requiring, each, only the boring of a single hole in the form, the locations of which holes determine approximately the centering of the duct bells. forms, the center of each conduit entrance thereto can be determined easily and quickly by marking on the form the hole center position for the clamping device and then boring in the form a series of small holes in conformity with the center markings. This eliminates the need for precast slabs with the duct bells incorporated therein and. results in a considerable saving in construction costs.

I In the drawings which accompany this speciflcation:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view of a manhole wall showing a group of incoming conduits terminating therein, together with the several duct bells;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view which illustrates the spacing of the conduits in the manhole Wall;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the clamping device in operative association with a duct bell,

Thus, after building the the conduit bein in place and the wall forms ready for the concrete to be poured;

Fig. 4 is an edgewise view of the clamping device shown in Fig. 3; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are elevational views of a modified form of the device designed especially for use in connection with small-size duct bells.

In Figs. 1 and 2 a manhole wall is identified by reference numeral 10, and the inside face of the wall by numeral H.

A group of incoming conduits, in this case twelve in number, arranged in three horizontal rows of four each, are shown joined to the wall and having their termini embedded therein. The conduits are identified severally by numeral 12 and each is connected to a porcelain casting l3, known as a duct bell, through the medium of a sleeve or coupling l4.

Each duct bell has a flaring annular surface l5 leading to the interior of its associated conduit and said surfaces are usually glazed so that when the cable moves thereon it will not be seriously abraded.

A clamping device constituting one of the preferred embodiments of this invention is shown in operation in Fig. 3; and an edgewise View of the same device is shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through a Wooden form comprising front and back members I6 and I! respectively, which conjointly define a space l8 into which concrete is to be poured to form a manhole wall. A conduit l2, sleeve 13, and duct bell M are shown assembled and in position,

with the latter centered and clamped firmly against front member I6 by the clamping device which is identified as a whole by reference numeral l9.

The clamping device of Figs. 3 and 4 comprises a rod 2!] threaded at one end and provided with a wing nut 2| and washer 22. The other end of rod 20 is drilled to receive a pivot pin or rivet 23 to which is pivotally connected a pair of toggle links 24 and 25. The toggle links are, in turn, pivotally connected at 26 and 21 to one end each of arms 28 and 29, the lower ends of which are pivotally connected at 30 and 3| to a channel-shape bridging member 32, through which rod 20 is slidable axially. Encircling each of arms 28 and 29 are sections of rubber hose 33 and 34. These bear against the interior annular surface of the duct bell, being forced outwardly by the toggle links to exert a gripping engagement with said surface when the wing nut is so rotated as to pull rod 20 in the direction indicated by arrow 35. Opposite rotation of the wing nut will efiect a release of said gripping engagement. The clamping devices are left in place until the wooden form is torn down after the concrete has set.

The simplicity of the device and th manner of applying it is self-evident from the drawings. The device thus far illustrated will fit duct bells of a considerable range of internal diameters but is not suitable for use with all sizes.

For smaller diameter duct bells there is shown in Figs. and 6 another embodiment of the invention. Here the device comprises a pair of arms 36 and 31, respectively, which ar pivotally connected at 38 and 39 to a channel-shaped bridging member 40. A rod 4| threaded at one end carries a pivot pin 42 which extends through elongated slots 43 and 44 in the arms 36 and 31 respectively. The free ends of the latter are equipped with lead caps 45 having curved surfaces 46 arranged to engage oppositely th internal surface of a duct bell. Rod'4l i provided witha wing nut 41 and washer 48. By rotating the wing nut, pin 42 is caused to move along the slots 43 and 44, thereby effecting movement of the lead-capped ends of arm 3:6 and 31. Thus the lead-capped ends of said arms can be brought into gripping engagement with the duct bell as shown. The last describ d device can be used in several of the smaller sized duct bells and manifestly is capable of being designed for use in the larger diameter bells.

' What is claimed is:

1. In a device for temporarily clamping a duct bell to a form surface and for securely holding said duct bell in close face-to-faoe contact with said form surface while concrete is being poured into the form, and throughout the ensuing setting period, said device comprising a rod which is adapted at one end to penetrate an aperture through the wall of the form from the interior of the form to the exterior thereof, so that said end is accessible from the outside of the form, means attachable to said end of the rod at the outside of the form wall for applying tension to said rod, said means abutting the outside of said wall, a bridging member adapted to bear against the inside of said Wall and having an aperture through which said rod extends and is slideable lengthwise, said bridging member being co-operative with said means for clamping the device to the wall, and a pair of opposed gripping means pivotally connected to said bridging member at respectively opposite sides of said rod, the other end of said rod being pivotally connected to said pair of gripping means conjointly, said gripping means, jointly, being expansible and contractible laterally of said rod in response to longitudinal movements of said rod relatively to said bridging member, aid gripping means being adapted for insertion into the bore of a duct bell and operable by expansion, when so inserted, to pressingly engage said bore.

2. In a device for temporarily clamping a duct bell to a form surface and for securely holding said duct bell in close face-to-fac contact with said form surface while concrete is being poured into the form, and throughout the ensuing setting period, said device comprising a rod which is threaded at one end and adapted to penetrate at its threaded end an aperture through the Wall of the form from the interior of the form to the exterior thereof, a nut engageable with said threaded end of the rod at the outside of the form wall and abutting said wall for applying tension to said rod, a bridging member bearing against the inside of said wall and having an aperture through which said rod extends and is slideable lengthwise, said bridging member being co-operative with said nut for clamping the device to the wall, and a pair of arms disposed individually at opposite sides of said rod and each pivotally anchored at one end only to said bridging member at opposite sides of said rod, respectively, said arms being connected, jointly, with the other end of said rod, the unanchored ends of said arms being movable arcuately in response to longitudinal movements of said rod to pressingly engage and disengage the bore of a duct bell.

3. In a device for temporarily clamping a duct bell to a form surface and for securely holding said duct bell in close face-to-fac contact with said form surface while concrete is being poured into the form, and throughout the ensuing setting period, said device comprising a rod which is threaded at one end and adapted to penetrate at its threaded end an aperture through the wall of the form from the interior of the form to the exterior thereof, a nut engageable with said threaded end of the rod at the outside of the form wall and abutting said wall for applying tension to said rod, a bridging member bearing against the inside of said wall and having an aperture through which said rod extends and is slideable lengthwise, said bridging member being co-operative with said nut for clamping the device to the wall, a pair of arms each pivotally anchored at one end only to said bridging member at points laterally displaced from said rod and at diametrically opposite sides thereof, and a pair of links each pivotally connected at one end to the end of said rod remote from its threaded end, the other ends of said links being pivotally connected each to the unanchored end of one of said arms individually.

4. In a device for temporarily clamping a duct bell to a form surface and for securely holding said duct bell in close face-to-face contact with said form surface while concrete is being poured into the form, and throughout the ensuing setting period, said device comprising a rod which is threaded at one end and adapted to penetrate at its threaded end an aperture through the wall of the form from the interior of the form to the exterior thereof, a nut engageable with said threaded end of the rod at the outside of the form wall and abutting said wall for applying tension to said rod, a bridging member bearing against the inside of said wall and having an aperture through which said rod extend and is slideable lengthwise, said bridging member being co-operative with said nut for clamping the device to the wall, a pair of arms each pivotally anchored at one end only to said bridging member at points laterally displaced from said rod and at diametrically opposite sides thereof, said arms being crossed and each having a lengthwise slot, and a pin carried by said rod and engaging said slots at the point of mutual intersection of said arms, the free ends of said arms being movable arcuately and conointly in response to lengthwise movements of sa1d rod and operative to pressingly engage the bore of the duct bell.

J AMES PI-IIN EAS WILLSON 

